Vanderbilt » special teamshttp://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt
The TennesseanThu, 13 Mar 2014 22:16:58 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.6Fatigued Commodores can rest, but not on special teamshttp://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/2012/09/08/fatigued-commodores-can-rest-but-not-on-special-teams/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/2012/09/08/fatigued-commodores-can-rest-but-not-on-special-teams/#commentsSat, 08 Sep 2012 19:07:43 +0000Jeff Lockridgehttp://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/?p=2263Vanderbilt Coach James Franklin is willing to give a fatigued player a break tonight at Northwesten, but it will have to come on offense or defense.

Not on “we-fense.”

Franklin noted after practice earlier this week that starting linebacker Archibald Barnes, a key member of the Commodores’ kickoff/punt coverage units, showed signs of fatigue late in the South Carolina game.

Asked if he had considered pulling Barnes off any of the special teams units, Franklin answered with an emphatic no.

“Our philosophy around here is special teams is No. 1,” Franklin said. “So if you get fatigued, you come off on offense and defense. You don’t come off on (special teams). We-fense, what we call special teams, is the most important thing we do. It’s when we come together as a whole team.

“So if you get tired, our philosophy is you get tired, you’ve got to tap out, you tap out off of defense, not off special teams. … It’s a third of the game. It’s important.”

Overall, Franklin said he was pleased with his new-look, relatively thin linebacking corps after one game.

“I thought they played well,” Franklin said. “It’s common knowledge we don’t have great depth there. We’ve got some young guys playing. We’ve got some older guys that have been around. To play against the offenses that we’re going play week in and week out, to think that they’re going to be able to stay in for a 15-play drive or any of those types of things, it’s going to be difficult. So we’re going to have to sub guys out, and we also have to get off the field, three and out. And if you don’t want to be on the field for 15 plays, get off the field. You kind of have some control over your own fate and destiny.

“But I thought Chase (Garnham) played well for his first game starting at that position (middle linebacker). I thought he did some nice things. Archie’s kind of a veteran guy. I did think he got a little fatigued at times. And I thought Karl Butler did some really good things. He’s a physical guy. He’s a smart guy. He’s a strong guy. And then the young guys that backed him up came in, I thought were serviceable. And they’ll improve as much as anybody from game one to game two.”